USITT Now Accepting Nominations for 2017 Rising Star Award

USITT is seeking nominations for the 2017 Rising Star Award sponsored by LDI/Live Design. The award honors early career professional designers in lighting, sound, scenic, or projection for outstanding work in one or more of these fields.

The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize, recognition at USITT 2017 in St. Louis, MO, free registration to the event, and a free one-year membership in USITT.

Nominees must be in the first four years of professional, non-academic work following completion of their highest degree. The deadline to nominate is August 15, with portfolios to be submitted by September 15. Nominate here.

The designer selected as the 2017 Rising Star will receive the award at USITT's 2017 Annual Conference & Stage Expo March 8-11 in St. Louis. LDI/Live Design sponsors the $1,000 prize and USITT provides Conference registration and membership.

Past Rising Stars include lighting designer Justin Townsend (2006), who received two 2016 Tony Award nominations: Best Lighting of a Musical for American Psycho and Best Lighting of a Play for The Humans, and won a 2015 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design.

Other prior Rising Star winners are Sound Designer Janie Bullard (2014), who assisted on Broadway's Hand to God, and projection designer Daniel Brodie (2011), whose Broadway credits include Motown The Musical.

"Rising Star singles out a designer who is demonstrating excellence early in their career," said USITT Executive Director David Grindle. "We feel this award is a predictor of future success, as it spotlights young professionals whose work is gaining notice in the area where they practice."

"We really want to encourage professors and mentors to nominate young designers who are a few years out of school, and who have gotten a good start to their professional careers," states David Johnson, Managing Director for LDI/Live Design.

"The list of past winners is very impressive and we are very proud of them all, as they have all met with success in their various disciplines. For us, the Rising Star Award is a great way to encourage the next generation of designers to excel."

USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, is a national non-profit association for the live entertainment production industry. It provides hands-on learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities for emerging and working professionals in the backstage arts. Its Annual Conference & Stage Expo is the only complete production event in North America, offering over 250 training sessions and 280 exhibitors of the latest tools and resources for creating live entertainment. Visit USITT at www.usitt.org.

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